Flushing-tank for water-closets



(No M6661.) P. HARVEY;

I'LUSHING TANK FOR WATER GLOSETS.

No. 514,188. I Patented Feb. 6, 1894.

1520672 for.

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ms mmomu. u'mcampume COMPANY.

WASHINGTON, o. e.

UNITED ST T S PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK HARVEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLUSHlNG-TANK FOR WATER-CLOSETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,188, dated February6, 1894.

- Application filed February 20, 1893- Serial No. 463,018. (No model.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PATRICK HARVEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Flushing-Tanks forWater-Closets, which are fully set forth in the following specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partthereof.

This invention relates to siphonic devices for affording and controllinga fiushingsupply from a tank to a water-closet.

It consists generically of the combination with a tank of a siphon whosedischarge limb constitutes the discharge passage from the tank, andwhose intake limb consists of a hood or cup inverted over the dischargelimb, and at its lower margin fitting the latter closely, and providedwith a device of the nature of a check valve to seat against outflow,and adapted to be lifted to pour its contents over into the dischargelimb to prime the siphon.

Specifically, it consists of the combination of such a siphon with asecondary siphon which is formed virtually within the wall of the pipewhich constitutes the discharge limb, so that the priming of the mainsiphon by the lifting of the hood primes also the secondarysiphon'within it,the intake of the two siphons being at differentlevels, so that one breaks before the other as the tank empties.

Still more specifically, the invention consists in the details by whichthe construction of the compound or double siphon is rendered simple andeasy.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is avertical sec-- tion through the tank andthe flushing device therein, showing the ordinary ball-cock supply-valveor float-operated valve for controlling the supply. Fig. 2 is a sectionat the line 22 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram or conventionalrepresentation of the nature of a vertical. section of a deviceanalagous to that shown in Fig. 1, of a simple form of single siphonwhich would embody the generic principle of my invention. Fig. 4 is adetail section of a modified form at the plane of the line 2'2 on Fig.1.

A is the tank; B, the supply valve; 0, the discharge pipe, and D is atube which may be considered a continuationwithin the tank of thedischarge pipe, being without communication with the tank except at theupper end, which is open. E F is an inverted annular cup; that is tosay, it comprises two concentric cylinders E and F, the annular spacebetween which is closed at the upper end. Either or both,- but if onlyone, preferably the outer of these cylinders, E,is connected at itslower end to the flange C of the supply pipe, which also affords themeans of connecting the tube D. But the lower end of both the cylindersE and F is cut away to form ports e and f, making the cylindersvirtually, and exceptas to the legs which extend down between the portsfor connection with the flange, end at the upper margin of the ports,which upper margin, in the case of the outer cylinder E is higher thanin the case of the inner cylinder F. This inverted annular cup islocated as shown in the drawings,the inner cylinder inside of, and theouter cylinder outside of, the tube D, the upper end of which stopsshort of the top of the inverted cup, leaving a clear passage over itsupper margin within the cup.

It will be seen that when the parts are in the position described andshown in the draw- -ings, there is formed an annular siphon, of

which the intake or shortened limb is the space between the outercylinder E and the tube D, and the discharge or longer limb is the spacebetween the tube .D and the inner cylinder F.

G is an inverted cup or hood having at its niouthor lower end themarginal inwardly projecting and annular flange G, whose aperture isequal to the outer diameter of the outer cylinder E, so that the hoodmay be passed down about the siphon just described, making an easy fit,not loose enough to permit much leakage, andnot tight enough to preventthe easy movement up and down. The flange G is perforated with a largenumber of apertures g; and within the hood, and adapted to rest upon theupper surface of the flange G, is an annulus H, adapted to cover all theapertures g, and centered in the annular space between the cylinder Eand the hood Gr, by projections from both edges to the said cylindricalwalls respectively. This annulus operates as a check valve to close theapertures g against the downward passage of the water, but opens freelyto admit the water upward through said apertures.

J 1s a lever fulcrumed on the edge of the tank and connected to the topof the hood G at the center adapted to lift it.

K K are projections extending up from the s phon E F to afford stops forthe hood to limit its descent and preserve always a proper space betweenthe top of the siphon and the top of the hood.

The operation of this device is as follows The tank being full to thelevel of the top of the siphon, which becomes the overflow point when itis desired to flush the closet, the hood G being lifted by means of thelever J, at the first upward movement becomes closed at the bottom bythe seating of the annular check valve H, and in its farther upwardmovement, it carries upward its entire contents contained in the annularspace around the siphon E F,-the slight leakage which may occur at theinner margin of the flange G being disregarded, and these contents, tothe extent of the up-lift of the hood, are poured over through thecenter of the annular siphon,that is, down through the tube F. This tubeF is preferably a little larger than the discharge pipe 0, and thequantity of water thus poured over into it from the annular space in thehood G about the siphon,

-being sufficient to fill it, fills also the discharge pipe 0, andinstitutes at once siphonic action in the familiar manner through theannular siphon ic passage e f. This siphonic action will continue whilethe hood is dropped again to normal position, and there will thereuponcontinue siphonic action through the annular space 9 within the hood Gand outside of the siphon E F, this annular space constituting'theshorter limb of a siphon, of which the longer limb is the central space9 within the inner cylinder F. There is thus created a double siphonicaction,-that is, an action through two siphons discharging water intothe flushing pipe and drawing it through the tank. The larger siphoncomprising the annular passage '9 and the central passage 9, will breakwhen the water reaches the level X--X, at the lower mouth of the hood, Gand thereafter only the lesser siphon D E F will be operative. Thelarger quantity delivered through both siphons while both are operatingconstitutes the flushing supply, and the lesser quantity deliveredthrough the smaller siphon after the first ceases to operate,constitutes the after-wash. When the water level has fallen to Y-Y,beingthe intake mouth of the lesser siphon,-that also will break and theoutflow from the tank will entirely cease and the tank Will be filled bythe operation of the supply Valve in the ordinary manner.

It will be observed that this construction dispenses entirely with anyvalve and with the necessity of any packing or other close fitting ofany of the parts, and affords all the usual facilities afforded by thisclass of siphonic devices in respect to overflow, and entirely avoidsnarrow passages which might become clogged.

I have termed the several walls of the siphonic passages cylinders, butit will be understood that circular shape is not essential, but I preferto make the inner member F of the siphon D E F noncircular,as, forexample, polygonal or eorrugated,-these forms being shown in Figs. 2 and4, respectively. Either of these non-circular forms adapts the member Fto hold the entire siphon in fixed relation to the tube D withoutrequiring fastening thereto or to the flange F, the angles of thepolygon or the outer points of the corrugations affording bearingagainst the inner surface of the tube D, as seen in the crosssections.When this construction is adopted, if the entire annular cup E F isheavy enough so that there is no danger of being floated upward, or ofbeing lifted upward by the slight friction of the inner edge of theannular flange G of the hood Gagainst the outer surface of the outermember E of the cup, all fastening of the latter at the bottom may bedispensed with.

Analysis of the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2 will make it apparentthat the entire siphon D E F, which may be considered the secondarysiphon, constitutes a partition between the two limbs of the primarysiphon, and that the operation of the primary siphon would be preciselythe same if there were no spaces in this partition wall to afford asecondary siphon. Fig. 3, therefore maybe taken as a genericrepresentation of the construction involved in Fig. 1, as respects theoperation of the primary siphon and means of priming it. It will beapparent, also, that having such a construction as is representedconventionally in Fig. 3, a secondary siphon might be formed in anymanner in the wall between the two limbs of the primary siphon,-as, forexample, by means of a ductindicated in dotted line in said Fig. 3. Insaid Fig. 3, therefore, I have denoted the entire partition wall by theletter F, which, in Fig. 1, denotes the discharge limb of the primarysiphon, and the passage within it by the letter g, which denotes thecorresponding passage in Fig. 1; and the duct shown in dotted line Ihave denoted by the letters e f, which denote respect ively the twoannular passages of the secondary siphon in Fig. 1.

I claim- 1. In combination with the tank, a siphon whose discharge limbconstitutes the discharge passage from the tank, and whose receivinglimb consists of a cup or hood inverted over the discharge limb andembracing the latter closely, and which is provided with acheck-valve-device to close the intake mouth against outflow, the saiddischarge limb having within its wall a siphonic passage Whose intakemouth opens at the outer side of said wall below the intake of the hoodand whose discharge mouth opens at the inner side in the dischargepassage: substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the tank, the siphon whose discharge limbconstitutes the discharge passage from the tank and whose receiving limbconsists of a cup or hood in-.

verted over the discharge limb and at its lower margin embracing thelatter closely and provided with a check-valve device to close theintake mouth against outflow; the discharge limb having within its walla siphonic passage each limb of which is annular, the discharge limbbeing within the intake limb and opening into the central limb of themain siphon, the receiving limb opening into the tank below the intakeof the outer hood: substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the tank and the discharge pipe leadingtherefrom, an upwardly open pipein the tank having watertight connectionat the bottom thereof, and

communicating with and inclosing the mouth of the discharge pipe, anannular cup inserted over such upstanding pipe, having the lower marginof its outer wall at a higherlevel than thelower-margin of its innerwall, and the hood G having the marginal fiangeG' adapted to fit aboutthe annular cup, said flange being apertured and provided with theannular check valve H; and suitable means for lifting the hood:substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with a tank, the annular siphon D E F, the dischargepipe leading from the center of said siphon, the hood encircling thesiphon having intake at the bottom and provided with a check valveadapted to be seated by outflow from the hood at such intake, saidintake being higher than the in take of the annular siphon:substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois,this 14th day of February, 1893.

PATRICK HARVEY.

- Witnesses:

CHAS. S. BURTON, JEAN ELLIOTT.

